SEOUL: North Korea will react with “resolute counteraction” in the event of provocations from upcoming joint military drills between South Korea and the United States, its defense chief said Monday in a state media dispatch. The warning comes as Seoul and Washington are set to carry out their annual Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, aimed at containing the nuclear-armed North, from August 18 to 21. North Korea — which attacked its neighbor in 1950, triggering the Korean War — has always been infuriated by US-South Korean military drills, decrying them as rehearsals for invasion.

SEOUL: North Korea will react with “resolute counteraction” in the event of provocations from upcoming joint military drills between South Korea and the United States, its defense…

North Korea's defense chief on Monday condemned an upcoming large-scale joint military exercise between the United States and South Korea and warned of "negative consequences."

Observers say they’re surprised by Pyongyang’s shift in tone towards the Ulchi Freedom Shield drills, which begin on August 18.